Great Indian Petrol Pump fraud
Jul 22nd, 2008 by shan
Just receveid this information over the mail. there are many such instances and personally few for me and i could fight with them and make them ask sorry and could get this issue corrected on the spot.
FROM A PERSON WHO EXPERIENCED THIS:
I would like to bring to your kind attention the “Great Indian Petrol Pump Fraud” happening all over Bangalore (and I believe all over India ) ..
Today in the morning, I saw the fuel gauge of my car touching the “Empty” sign, so I thought that while on my way to office , I will fill petrol worth 1000 Rs in my car. When I reached the petrol pump at 9:30 Am today(24th April 2008)(BP petrol pump near Richmond road) I showed the crisp 1000 Rs note to the attendant at the petrol pump and told him to fill Rs.1000.
I repeated 1000 to him 2-3 times so that he registers 1000 Rs in his head fill the petrol for Rs. 1000.I repeatedly told him because of the past experience whenever I had asked him to fill petrol worth 1000 bucks at different gas stations (i.e. for e.g. at Advaitha Gas station, near udapi garden BTM to name one of them),the attendant always filled Rs. 200 of petrol and said “Sir your Rs. 200 of petrol is filled” . I used to say I asked you fill 1000 Rs of petrol not 200 worth. He would look at me like an innocent kid and would start filling the remaining 800 Rs of petrol.
But this procedure of 200+800 didn’t stop at one petrol pump but gas attendants at all the petrol pumps followed this weird ritual. I could sense something fishy but not before losing money to this procedure 3-4 times.
So coming back to Today’s incident I asked the “Honest” petrol pump attendant to fill the petrol, While filling the petrol my attention was diverted towards the pollution check centre at the same petrol pump but when I looked back at the meter indicator, I was shocked to see the familiar “200″
mark at the petrol pump meter. I told him again why you didn’t fill for Rs.1000. He said that he heard Rs. 200. So I told him to fill Rs. 800 of petrol also.
After he had filled the petrol, I got in the car and started towards my office. While on my way to office. I observed the fuel gauge in my car.
It had moved from “Empty” first to half and then little further. But from my past experience that when I used to get Rs. 1000 of fuel filled in the empty fuel tank, it used to come to certain level but today it hadn’t come till there. So I thought. I got duped again.
After reaching office I checked the Internet for same Frauds which had happened before my case. I was shocked to find that many other people also faced the same problem of 200+800 and some bikes of 40+60 bucks(these petrol pump attendants don’t leave anybody).I spoke to my boss and a colleague of mine at office they told me of the same incident. I was like; this problem is not only with me but with people all over Bangalore. Basically people all over Bangalore (maybe all over India) are getting cheated in this ingenious fraud which is promoted by our friendly neighbor hood petrol pump owners and their honchos’ gas attendants.
The ingenious technique these people follow is discussed below in italics
When asked for diesel worth Rs. 500. The attendant filled up only Rs.100.
noticing that I told him to fill for Rs. 500 but by that time he is done with 100 so the attender said he will fill up for remaining Rs. 400 that is when he did a trick of as though he is resetting by playing games of hurry burry and continuing to fill and when he is done for Rs. 400 he asked for 500 (100+400) but in reality he only filed for 100+300 as he is not really resetted the machine to zero even though it appears as he reset it.
So after reading the messages on the website I went back to the petrol pump, parked my car in middle of the petrol pump called the attendant and told him that you have cheated me of Rs. 200 of petrol instead of filling petrol worth of 1000 Rs you have filled the petrol worth only Rs. 800,I told him I am gonna sue your petrol pump and I want to write a complaint against the same ..He got frightened said “Sorry Sir By mistake I have not reset Rs.
200″. He didn’t ask me any more questions and directly filled 200 Rs of petrol.
I wonder that BP, IOC, HP talk about going in losses and hence they ask govt. to increase the price of diesel and petrol but in reality petrol pump owners are helping us save lots of oil by asking us to pay Rs. 1000 but giving us petrol worth 800.What a brilliant way to conserve oil and make profit for petrol pump owners .I guess people should know about the ingenious way in which petrol pumps owners helps us. (Pardon me for the
sarcasm) 
I am enclosing the website on which I went today to find information about the “Great Indian Petrol Pump fraud”
Just thought of sharing the other mail on the same topic.
Friends,
Be careful when you fill petrol at Indian Oil or other govt oil company stations.
In my case, it happened yesterday at Devaraj Enterprises, Indian Oil, on Outer Ring Road near Sobha apartments (adjacent to Salarpuria Softzone). There were two persons at the pump. I normally get down from the car and then only talk to the person. While the first person was asking for details (normal or premium, how many litres etc), the second person inserted the nozzle into the tank. The counter was not at all reset and the previous reading was for Rs.111. As I was asking for normal petrol, that pump can only serve XtraPremium. The second person was arguing that he has already filled for Rs.111. I shouted at him that I only asked for normal petrol and how he can go ahead fill XtraPremium and also he should show zero before filling. He said that the counter will not reset to zero. I asked him to bring his manager. Then he said no sir, u need to pay Rs.111. I threatened them that I will go to police. After which they left me.
Some precautions:
Never open the tank lid while sitting inside the car. Never fill petrol just sitting inside the car. Get OUT first !!!
Get out of the front door and then tell the details regarding petrol, premium or not, full tank or how many liters. Before opening the lid, ask them to show zero reading.
Also when two or more persons are there near the filling station, be extra careful. One person will deviate your attention while other person does the trick. One person will ask you about windscreen wiping etc…
Also don’t disclose whether you pay by card or by cash. If you say it is by card, they will divert your attention for card payment while doing the trick.
Be ever vigilant when you fill at petrol pumps.
Another common cheating way is that you wd have told full tank, but the person wd put for Rs.200 and then will say he forgot to put full tank and without reseting, he will start filling and then charge you for Rs.200 + correct reading at the end.
Lot of people posting in various discussion forums on the modus operandi of cheating at these pump stations.